"Here it is?"
Roxy tightly gripped Rudeus's clothes, feeling the familiar presence beside her, and the unease she felt after being transported to an unfamiliar environment dissipated somewhat.
Rudeus looked around, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"This must be a lost ruin; it looks like it's been there for a very long time."
"Miss Eris seems to have disappeared!"
Roxy suddenly exclaimed.
"It seems this teleportation array is random," Rudeus reassured her. "We were just lucky to end up in the same place. But don't worry about Eris, she should be fine on her own."
"I hope so..."
Roxy nodded gently, but the worry on her face did not completely disappear.
"Teacher, you can use this wand for now."
As Rudeus spoke, he handed over the " Arrogant Water Dragon King ".
Roxy paused for a moment, then took the wand and examined it carefully.
"Huh? You gave me your wand, so what are you going to do now?"
"It's alright," Rudeus waved his hand casually. "I can fight even without a wand."
"If someone else said that, I would definitely think they were just showing off."
Roxy gave him a helpless look.
"But coming from your mouth... I'm not surprised at all."
As she spoke, she began to carefully observe her surroundings.
Deep within the dimly lit ruins, the stone walls bear the marks of time's erosion, while the paths leading deeper are strewn with the remains of various architectural styles.
"Speaking of which, this maze is really strange."
Roxy frowned.
"It feels like there are all kinds of monsters here, and the surrounding environment doesn't seem to belong to the same place at all."
"Really."
Rudeus nodded.
"It's like forcibly piecing together the unique characteristics of various places."
"Haha... maybe the Teleportation Labyrinth is a bit special."
Rudeus verbally agreed, but inwardly he couldn't help but complain.
Yanli, you bastard!
It's just a maze, why cram every style into it?
Yanli: "I'm sorry, Master~ Please punish me severely, physically~"
Rudeus: "..."
When will this guy finally learn to speak normally?
" Rudeus, look!"
Roxy suddenly pointed forward.
"There seems to be a glowing treasure chest over there!"
Rudeus looked in the direction she was pointing.
Sure enough, an antique-looking treasure chest lay quietly in the corner, its cracks emitting a faint glow.
Of course, this was still a little surprise prepared by Yanli.
However, Rudeus clearly had no intention of telling Roxy.
"This must be the reward we received after all our hard work and exploration."
Rudeus said with a smile.
"Teacher, please open it and take a look."
"Huh? I'll drive?"
Roxy pointed to herself, her face full of hesitation.
"Shouldn't this kind of thing be done by the person who has made the most contribution?"
"How about this?"
Rudeus made the suggestion in a very serious tone.
"Teacher, you open this chest first, and I'll open the next one, okay?"
"Well... okay then."
Although Roxy felt that something was amiss, she still nodded.
She cautiously approached the treasure chest and reached out her hand.
Rudeus stood behind, a meaningful smile on his face.
Just as Roxy's finger was about to touch the treasure chest--
A sudden change has occurred!
Buzz!
The previously quiet treasure chest suddenly began to shake violently.
"Huh?"
Roxy was taken aback.
The next moment--
Click!
The treasure chest suddenly opened by itself.
However, there was no treasure inside at all.
A hideous, gaping maw was slowly splitting open from inside the box.
Countless slippery, twisted tentacles suddenly shot out!
"Aaaaaah--!"
Roxy screamed in fright and instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
However, it was too late.
A sticky tentacle wrapped around her wrist with lightning speed and pulled her back sharply!
Roxy's expression changed drastically. She instinctively drew her wand with her other hand and began chanting a spell rapidly.
"May the great protection of ice descend upon the place you seek, and bear the turbid currents of the glacier!"
[ Ice Smash]!
call out--!
A sharp ice spike tore through the air and instantly pierced the mimic's head.
"Squeak!"
The mimic let out a shrill scream, and the tentacles that had been wrapped around Roxy's wrist suddenly loosened.
It abruptly retracted its body, turned, and fled into the depths of the cave.
Even with half its body covered in ice crystals, its speed was still astonishing.
"We can't let it get away!"
Roxy called out hurriedly.
" Rudeus, help me catch it!"
Let's go!
Rudeus touched the ground with his toes.
A surge of immense magical power instantly erupted from their bodies, enveloping both of them.
The next moment, the two soared into the air, transforming into streaks of light as they chased after the fleeing shadow.
In a short while, the two rushed out of the cave.
Outside the cave was a vast, empty valley.
In the center of the valley, a huge stone statue stands out prominently.
As soon as the mimic emerged from the cave, upon seeing the stone statue, its speed not only didn't slow down, but it darted behind the statue at an even more astonishing pace and vanished instantly.
Roxy stared blankly at the scene before her.
"What... what is this?"
"This is bad."
Rudeus narrowed his eyes, but a subtle smile appeared on his face.
"We've stumbled into the labyrinth lord's territory by sheer accident."
But inside, she was overjoyed.
Sure, Yanli.
They have a good eye for choosing locations.
This level of monster is perfect as the final boss.
"Don't panic, teacher."
Rudeus patted his chest, looking confident and assured.
"It's just an SS-rank stone golem."
"If the two of us team up, we can totally solo it."
Roxy's lips twitched slightly.
"I definitely can't do it myself..."
"However, with you here, it should be manageable."
Rumble rumble rumble--!
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the center of the valley.
The entire ground trembled violently.
The stone statue's surface cracked with jagged fissures, large pieces of rubble fell continuously, and billowing dust rose into the sky.
The next moment--
boom!
A massive figure rose from the dust and smoke!
The colossal stone golem, tens of meters tall, slowly straightened its body.
It raised its thick arm, grasped a huge stone sword, and swung it horizontally!
boom--!
A violent gust of air swept across the surroundings in an instant, dispersing all the smoke and dust in the air.
Its exaggerated body, ferocious face, and heavy, despair-inducing stone armor combine to form a terrifying form that resembles a weapon of war.
"Teacher!"
Rudeus shouted.
"I'll hold them off from the front, you stay behind and deal damage!"
But my magic might not work!
"Use the wand I gave you; it might have a miraculous effect."
Rudeus sidestepped the massive sword's sweeping attack.
"Give it a try, teacher!"
"All right!"
Roxy gritted her teeth.
"Then I'll give it a try!"
Her gaze gradually hardened.
With a gentle turn of the wand in his hand, dazzling magical power gathered like a tide, surging wildly towards the magic stone at the tip of the wand.
On the other side.
The stone golem's attacks remained incredibly fierce.
Each swing of the sword was accompanied by terrifying wind pressure capable of tearing the air apart.
However, Rudeus always kept one hand behind his back.
He casually dodged to the side just as the greatsword was about to strike.
step.
Two steps.
With nimble movements, he moved with the ease of a leisurely stroll.
The giant stone golem's attacks, powerful enough to destroy buildings, were as laughable as swatting away mosquitoes in his presence.
"Now!"
Roxy gave a sharp shout.
"[ Ice Spear Blizzard ]!"
boom--!
Countless Ice Lance materialized out of thin air and poured down like a torrential rain, bombarding the giant stone golem.
Crackling and popping!
The ice crystals kept shattering.
However, the giant stone golem's body remained unmoved.
Only a few shallow scratches remain on the surface.
"It still doesn't work..."
Roxy lowered her wand in disappointment.
"Even such a dense barrage of attacks couldn't break through the defenses."
"It seems my role has come to an end..."
"No, no, no."
Rudeus smiled and shook his head.
"Teacher, could you take a closer look?"
Roxy looked up in confusion.
The next second, she froze.
The giant stone golem seemed to be moving much slower than before.
The once fierce and swift attacks now became stiff and sluggish.
Each time he raised his hand, it felt like a rusty machine struggling to run.
Roxy looked down at the magic wand in her hand, her eyes filled with surprise.
" Rudeus's wand... it actually has this effect?"
"That's absolutely outrageous."
"Don't stop, teacher."
Rudeus's lips curled into a smile.
"Keep attacking, it's almost immobilized."
"Good!"
Roxy nodded emphatically.
Next, a series of ice-based spells were unleashed.
Ice arrows, Ice Lance, ice blades...
One after another.
Before long, the enormous stone golem was completely covered in ice.
The entire golem resembled a giant ice sculpture, standing silently in the center of the valley.
"Call..."
Roxy breathed a long sigh of relief.
"We've finally got it under control."
Rudeus flashed a bright smile.
"So--"
"It's time for me to give it a grand ending."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A magical shield instantly enveloped Roxy.
Then, Rudeus raised his right hand.
In the palm of his hand, a ball of pitch-black flame slowly condensed.
The flames continued to compress and rotate, emanating a chilling aura of destruction.
[ Hellfire Fireball ]!
boom--!
A burst of pitch-black flames erupted, tracing a deadly arc through the air before crashing violently into the frozen giant stone golem.
The next moment--
boom!!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted!
Black flames and ice crystals exploded simultaneously.
The violent shockwave swept across the entire valley, even shearing off a layer of the surrounding rock walls.
A dazzling burst of flames shot into the sky, dispelling all the smoke and mist that filled the air.
The whole world seemed to become clear in that instant.
After a few breaths.
The aftershocks of the explosion gradually subsided.
Roxy then cautiously opened her eyes.
Then--
She was stunned.
"..."
Where is there any valley in sight?
All that remained was a desolate wasteland.
Even the colossal stone golem that was tens of meters tall had completely disappeared.
Roxy remained silent for a long while before finally speaking softly:
" Rudeus..."
"The materials from that giant stone golem... must be extremely rare, right?"
"Well..."
Rudeus's smile froze instantly.
"I guess...?"
Roxy slowly turned her head and looked at him expressionlessly.
You are not allowed to enter the maze anymore.
"..."
[Author's Note]
I've managed to squeeze in a few chapters these past few days, I've been incredibly busy lately. But as I said before, I'll maintain quality and quantity until the story is finished, so don't worry.